Our Vision for Reading
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go” Dr Seuss
“Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world.” Napoleon Bonaparte
“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” Walt Disney
Our love of reading and passion for books is apparent from the moment you set foot in our school. We foster a culture of reading where children have space and time to be a reader. We champion choice and voice and celebrate diversity through the literature we promote and the environment we create. Reading is recognised and celebrated as a vital tool that enriches all our lives and provides a window on the world.
Children develop the skills needed to read through a systematic, synthetic phonics approach from the outset combined with a focus on fluency and comprehension. Teachers constantly assess and plan for next steps which enables children to make good progress. Quality intervention and personalised support helps children who may have fallen behind to catch up. High numbers of children achieve at or beyond age related expectations. Children achieve high standards in their reading as a result of high-quality teaching and rich text drivers they experience throughout the curriculum. They apply their skills successfully across the curriculum so they are well prepared for the next stage of their education.
Children have access to a wide range of up-to-date and more traditional books, non-fiction, graphic novels, newspapers and magazines. They are enthusiastic about reading and talk confidently about their likes, dislikes, different authors and connections they have made with the wider world. They talk, laugh, share, engage and giggle as they escape and ‘lose themselves’ in different cultures and lands. Reading extends beyond the library and classrooms, into the outside and the various reading nooks around school. Children read to a variety of audiences, including children of different ages, folk in the wider community, a plethora of reading volunteers and our reading dog, Holly!
Staff actively role model reading at various points throughout the school day and are readers themselves, so they can talk about books with their classes and make recommendations based on their knowledge of the children. Children enjoy being read to regularly by a variety of passionate and expressive staff members. We love to explore and enjoy books with our children and this invigorating experience of texts is considerably effective in terms of raising outcomes.
The joy of reading is prevalent throughout the school community. Parents are often engaged in reading activities that we offer as part of the curriculum. Our library is open throughout the school day to children and accessible to families to browse and select books together. Reading events, such as a reading café, book tastings, visiting authors and an exciting book week happen regularly to inspire and motivate all to become life-long readers with a passion for the written word.
To find out more about our approach to teaching reading, click here https://www.ruthmiskin.com/parents/